ITSP's SmartSPE™ is online SPE that delivers easy to operate high throughput automation in a single robust sample cleanup / measurement workflow. Only ITSP achieves LC column performance in a single use SPE device!

PAL3 RTC System Setup and PAL-xt

These are articles or links to articles written by individuals and employees of ITSP Solutions, Inc. related to ITSP SmartSPE.

ITSP Solutions, Inc. is happy to announce that the new PAL 3 RTC sold by many of the major analytical instrument manufacturers have now integrated the PAL RTC into their operating software and many if not all have available scripts to control ITSP SmartSPE methods. SmartSPE is an excellent hands-off source of automation for the time consuming gold standard of sample preparation, Solid Phase Extraction.

ITSP Solutions began late last year to phase out hardware specific to the PAL-xt System. CTC has discontinued selling the PAL-xt to all but a few customers and only a few firmware boards left with no intention of making any more. The RTC has many advantages that continue to improve that makes it clearly worth the investment to come into the modern art.

In an effort to assist you in setting up your RTC system we have produced three documents to give you general information regarding the configuration of your RTC to take advantage of the benefits of SmartSPE. Due to the file size limitations of our website that prevents us from posting these on the site we would ask that you email a request to us for the documents and we will be happy to send them to you. There are details below that give you the content covered in each document. Send your request to kim.gamble@itspsolutions.com and be sure to reference the RTC Set-Up Guide Documents in the Subject line of your email.

The first document is the RTC Configuration Guide and a general guideline for ITSP provided hardware and how to install it on your rail. The SmartSPE tray configurations give you the four basic tray locations and tray types (Raw Sample, SmartSPE Prep, Elution and Injection). The Configuration Guide also gives you the concepts and necessary hardware for eluting into either 96-well microplates or closed vials. Each has a special set of considerations and there is plenty of detail in the document to help you fully understand.

The second document, the Supplement to the RTC COnfiguration Guide was developed to add additional content regarding how to achieve the same performance we have been able to reproduce including plotting van Deemter curves for a consumable SPE device. The PAL RTC offers a great advantage with the ability to deliver precision flow rates necessary to achieve 100% load and elution of your compounds of interest. The types of solvents necessary for your extractions have different viscosities and proper aspiration and dispensing can be studied to make sure issues that prevent precision flow rates can be avoided. Other items such as needle depth for raw sample and SmartSPE injection aspirations are easier to set-up before installing the ITSP prep tray and would have to be retrained if not done in advance.

The final document the Cartridge Disposal Line Considerations details an important modification of the waste receptacle to improve the performance of the disposing of the cartridge staright to the trash can if desired.